WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden will meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah on June 25 (Friday) to discuss US troop withdrawal.
According to a statement issued by the White House today (Sunday), Biden will seek to reassure Ghani and Abdullah of US support for the Afghan people including diplomatic, economic and humanitarian assistance.
Biden will also repeat his pledge to ensure that the country never becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups. “The visit by President Ghani and Dr Abdullah will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues,” the White House added.
“The United States will remain deeply engaged with the Government of Afghanistan to ensure the country never again becomes a safe haven for terrorist groups who pose a threat to the US homeland,” it added.
The meeting comes at a critical time when fighting between Afghan security forces and Taliban militants has surged, since Biden announced in April that all US troops in Afghanistan would be withdrawn before Sept. 11, ending America’s longest war after nearly 20 years of conflict.
Since Biden’s decision in April to pull out all US troops before Sept. 11, at least 30 districts have been seized by the Taliban. The Taliban was not immediately available for comment and there was no immediate reaction from Ghani’s office.
However, a senior Afghan official said the Afghan president would be seeking assurances from the United States over its continued support for Afghan security forces in the aftermath of the withdrawal.
The visit would also come in the face of slow progress in talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives in Qatar. Officials have raised concerns over the stalling negotiations and have said the Taliban has not yet submitted a written peace proposal that could be used as a starting point for substantive talks.
